The Season of Letting Go

It is the season of Letting Go. Autumn marks the time of the year when we begin to slow down, involute, integrate the past year. It is the proverbial “separating the wheat from the chaff.” I am doing more self-care than ever since I am in the midst of making some huge changes in my life. I figured I’d really step into the energy of the season and let it work for me. So, I dug out my trusty TCM and herbal books to help me come up with a plan for then next two months.

According to TCM autumn is ruled by the element of metal which represents: boundary, instinct, interaction, transmutation, synthesis and interchange. These are the qualities which begin to influence us at this time. I’ve noticed that I need more personal space to be with my thoughts and contemplate where I’ve been and where I’m going. The organs ruled by this element are the colon and the lungs. The emotional body is letting go and we can grieve what is dying to make room for the new. I’ve been more weepy than usual and I promised I’d be with the emotions more and not clean my house incessantly– which makes for a  clean house, but clogged internal pipes.

I’m diving more into herbs and plan on doing some interesting stuff which I’ll write about later once I experiment on me and my kid. In the meantime look for a list of references at the end of the post in case you are feeling adventurous too.

I’m also happy to report that I’ve began to make fermented foods and things are moving along–if you know what I mean. Kaya loves it! I made a combo of fermented cabbage, daikon and cucumber. I sliced them into bite-sized pieces, layered with salt (be generous I didn’t put enough), 2 bay leaves and 4-6 whole allspice per layer, covered with water then a small plate on top and pressed it down with another heavy bowl of water. 3 days later the vegetables fermented. The smell was “sour/beer like” but not offensive and they tasted slightly tangy. I transferred them to the fridge. The “kiszonka” or fermented food can stay in the fridge for up to two weeks.  The best container for this is one made from clay or glass. I happen to get creative and bought an old crakpot dish at the thrift store. Remember to wash all working surfaces and utensils with boiling water before fermenting. Eat up!

Essential oils of the season are:  cypress, clary sage, eucalyptus, hyssop, pine, tea tree, thyme, frankincense, juniper berry, sweet marjoram, myrrh, and yarrow.

I got cypress for me and clary sage for Kaya. I am careful about both for her and make a half percent solution: 1 drop of essential oil for every 10 ml of oil (two tsp.) because both have a precaution for epilepsy. Children under 13 can do a 1 percent solution– 2 drops of essential oil for every 10 ml of carrier oil– and adults can bump it up to 3 drops of essential oil.  I rub it into her feet. Last week I did a gentle diaphragmatic release on myself with clary sage and was amazed how much more deeply I could breathe.

Blessings and may you let go gracefully. Write me any other tips you may have; especially fermented foods and herbal remedies.

References/Books of Interest

Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit. Restoring Emotional and Mental Balance with Essential Oils. Mojay, Gabriel.

Macrobiotic Diet. Kushi, Michio and Aveline.

The Yoga of Herbs. An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine. Dr. Frawley, David and Dr. Lad, Vasant.

The New Age Herbalist. Mabey, Richard.

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